Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1887-10-26
THE "TWO SISTERS"

AWCHOy -SeNeu years ago THIS day Ocs
Cured the mutiny on the ship Two Sis
ters. All the circumstances were pub
hshed at the time but l doubt if there
are today dozen people in the United
States who can recall them. was one
Oh the crew and participant, and am
now going to give the story of the crime.
ana leave the reader to judge who was to
Diane that the mutiny came about.
The Two Sisters was a fair sized shin.
carrying from sixteen to nineteen men.
and was owned and sailed from Glasgow.
L had come around to Glasgow on a
COASTER from Liverpool, having no chance
TO get ship and being willing to take up
with anything to earn my way until times
got better. The Two Sisters was bound
Tor Rio JaneirO, and the day l got into
Glasgow was her day for sailing. Oddly
enough, common seaman got fall
which disabled him, and l was showed
INTO his place, and the ship was off almost
before l could turn my head, and GER
talnly before l was prepared for such a
long voyage. l had been to sea for sew
eral years previous to this shipment. and
had rated as "able' more than once. but
III this case | was rated as "ordinarv. ~
and the pay was to be for such. | was
then about % years old, thorourh Yam
kee by birth and feelings, and as had
neither parents nor home did not care in
which direction l sailed.
Now, to help you comprehend what
finally happened, l want to say that no
sailing ship ever left port with everything
entirely satisfactory to Sailor Jack. He
Is a chronic grumbler, just as the farmer
IS, but he means no more by his grumb-
ling. He will kick on the food on the
weather, on the cargo, on his quarters. on
almost everything connected with the
snip and her voyage; but it is simply a
fashion, and he doesn't expect ANYBODY to
take him in earnest. And l say further
that there is no English, Scotch, German,
or American sailing ship afloat today in
which the captain cares two cents for the
life of foremost hand. The mates are
born bullies, ready to knock a man down
on The slightest prOvocatiOn, and they will
make the prOvOcatiOn themselves. Jack
may be cut and bruised and i'll, but it is
only when he falls helpless that he is per-
United to leave his watch. He is not sup
posed to have any more feelings than an
OK, ana it would seem as if the aim of
most officers was to make him forget his
manhood. The ditch diggers in any
country live better than the average
1t'AANA's cttNh > AAOAlAo art lOIl2tE IMAM any
workingman's, his pay is less, and there
isn't day from the time the VOYAGE is be-
gun until tends that his life is not in
peril. And, to cap the climax, he is a
man TO put up with everything. He ex-
poets poor grub, plenty of abuse, a great
Zeal of dirty weather, and a close shave
f.. his life about once in so often He
VIII stand more bulldozing than a black
slave, and more abuse than anoX. Mutinv
81 sea is n rare occurrence. The Ameri-
c2l marine does not average one in five
years. This isn't because the provoca-
ton is lacking, for that exists on almost
every ship every day but because Jack is
Is willing to bear to the last moment be-
fJr2 he turns. In my time have known
sailors to cut their Threats. hang them
selves, or leap overheard to end their
wretched livcs-made wretched and un-
bcarabie 10y bullying mate. A soldier
Wo.ld have shot down his officer in such
cases. A slave would have run away.
We were not out of sight of the coast
before it was found that both mates were
bullies, the captain n tyrant, and our
grub the poorest which could be pur-
Chased for ship. The crew were far
above the average in point of looks and
scamanship. As we were mustered to be
divided into watches l was surprised to
note the fine bearing of the men. 1t was
just such crew as a captain could feel
confidence in during a long and perilous
voyage. If there was a shirk among the
lot, his looks did not betray him. When
we were divided off fell to the captains
watch, which is in reality the second
mates watch, and found two more
Americans with me-JohnsOn and Green.
They were able seamen of middle age,
and there was but one younger man than
! in either watch. In the first six hours
of our being aflOat saw four men knocked
down by the mates without provocation
enough to have called out a rebuke from
some officers, while the captain, who was
evidently a hard drinker, exhibited his
temper in various ways. It is usual for
the captain Of n ship to make a little
speech to the men when the watches are
divided. 1t is done not to encourage, but
to intimidate. 1t is to further show Jack
that he has no moral or legal rights what
ever, and that if he isn't Drained next
day with Delaying pin, it is because his
officers are willing to overlook and con-
done his heinous offenses. When our
watches were called Capt. Mckay stepped
forward and said:
81 have been looking you over, you
dirty scum of the docks, and find there
isn't n sailor among you. I wouldn't
have shipped such gang of sOjers fO= a
mud scow. You have come aboard under
false pretenses, calculating to feast on
pie and cake and have q trip for your
health. Look out for me, you id riff
raft. I'll make some of you wish you
had never been born before this voyage is
over"
That was his speech as one of the sail
ors wrote it down, and that was the cue
the mates were to take. When the off
watch went below the men remarked to
each other that it looked Is if we had
signed articles with bad man, but there
was no criticism. When supper was
served we found the beef outrageous. The
smell Of il was sufficient TO turn a sailors
stomach, and you can imagine that it
must have been pretty high The tea
could never have seen the inside Of a
chest. ! doubt if it was anything more
than the leaves of trees and shrubs. The
ship biscuit had better been called ship
grubs. There was more worm than bis
cult in each case, and as hungry as we
were rot man made n pretense Of eat.
In. 1t is the rule of every ship that
Jack may come aft with his complaint.
lie was expected to in this case. The
captain was on deck when he should have
been below lie looked for a kick against
the provisions, and he proposed to shut
the grumblers right up. After u forecastle
conference it was decided to appeal to the
captain. Not man of either watch could
touch the provisions. An oldish man,
who was a thorough sailor, very intelli-
gent and the last to find fault, was Sc
+ lected as spokesman, and he put some Of
the provisions in kid, and we followed
him to the mainmast. AS ] told you, it
was evident the captain and mates looked
for protest, for all were ON deck. The
name Of our spokesman was Herbert, and
he was English born. The captain came
forward to meet us as we grouped
around Herbert with hats off, and after
looking us over he shouted out:
'Well, d-n your eyes, why don't you
speak up9 What Is wanted Of meS''
IF you please, sir, !" said Herbert, 1--WE
can't eat the grub"
"Oh, you can'tf You are probably dis
appointed. You expected oyster soup,
Java coffee, hot biscuit and honey, and
your stomachs have gone back on you. -
Your honor, but viii you please smell
OF this beef" asked Herbert, advancing a
STEP
''Smell Of the beef, you hounds, youg'
howled the captain. s'Did the owners en-
gage me to sail the ship OF to smell Of the
forecastle beef? I sized you up on the
start for O lot Of skulking soiers, and